Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight after battering Jamaica as one of the most powerful landfalling storms in Atlantic basin history.

Millions of people across the Caribbean are trying to deal with the devastating effects of Hurricane Melissa, which tore through the region this week, slamming into Jamaica as a Category 5 storm. Now,

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, has carved a devastating path through the Caribbean this week.

Former Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, weakened after leaving a trail of devastation across Caribbean islands.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters have spent the past week diving into the eye of Melissa — a storm of historic ferocity — to gather life-saving data. But the government shutdown means they aren’t getting a paycheck.

Follow live updates on Hurricane Melissa as the death toll reaches 38 people. Recovery efforts are underway in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica this week near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as “ground zero.”

Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba were assessing the damage and beginning to dig out after they were slammed by Hurricane Melissa, which left dozens dead.

Hurricane Melissa's deadly spin is visible from space. Satellite footage caught the hurricane in rotation on Tuesday (Oct. 28) as it wreaked destruction across the Caribbean. Imagery from the GOES-19 satellite shows "mesovortices" surrounding the hole, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).